Integrating GEF in Danube River Basin Plans and Policies

1. Danube River BasinRegional experiences on integrating GEF in environment and development plans and policies Sub-regional Workshop for GEF Focal Points Europe & CIS Istanbul, Turkey 7-8 March 2007

2. Danube River basin • Connects the 19 countries in its drainage basin, with their diverse histories, cultures, languages and economies. • Supports millions of livelihoods and serves as an engine of economic growth for all of the countries in the basin • Serving as a critically important forum and entry point that promotes cooperation, coordination and integration, which in turn, helps prevent conflict and division • The unique and high biodiversity and massive array of ecosystem services provided by the Danube underscore its importance as an environmental asset of global significance

3. The ‘GEF Partnership’ and its roots • The 15 year history of UNDP/GEF interventions in the region started in 1992 by supporting the basic principles of transboundary cooperation. • Through the development of more advanced tools for regional cooperation in the technical field, it led to the design of the ‘GEF Danube/Black Sea Strategic Partnership’ in 2000, in order to fully utilise the synergy between capacity building and the demonstration of nutrient reduction through pilot investment projects. • The Partnership is targeted at assistance in the Danube and Black Sea countries to address transboundary concerns from nutrient pollution and to permit Black Sea ecosystems to recover to similar conditions as those observed in the 1960s.

4. The GEF Strategic Partnership • ‘Danube Regional Project (DRP)’. • ‘Black Sea Ecosystem Recovery Regional Project’ for the six Black Sea littoral countries. • ‘Investment Fund for Nutrient Reduction’ implemented by the World Bank, geared to supporting single-country, single-sector investment sub-projects for nutrient reduction as well as wetland and floodplain restoration. • The process of political cooperation went on in parallel resulting in entry into force of two regional conventions and in expansion of the EU from six new members in the region. • The recent close cooperation and joint management of both UNDP/GEF regional projects actually boosted the coordination of two UNDP projects as well as the cooperation of both regional Commissions in implementing their joint MoU on meeting their strategic goals.

5. Danube Regional Project Major Achievements • The entry into force and full operationalization of the Danube River Protection Convention in 1998; • Through the ICPDR and its Secretariat, a strong, capable and financially sustainable multi-country institutional structure with established mechanisms for NGO and private sector involvement; • Billions of dollars in nutrient and other pollution reduction investments completed and many more planned; • With ICPDR and UNDP-GEF assistance, all of the Danube countries are on track for meeting the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive; • One of the world’s most advanced river basin trans-national monitoring networks;

6. Danube Regional Project Major Achievements (cont) • A fully operational accidental emergency warning system • Adoption and initial implementation of nutrient related policy and legislative reforms in nearly all of the Danube basin countries; • Through the Danube Environmental Forum and its 174 member organizations, a strong NGO network which facilitates civil society involvement in both discussing and addressing the environmental challenges of the Danube; • Most of the upper reaches of the Danube are no longer considered ‘at risk’ • Demonstrated improvement in the ecological status of the downstream Black Sea, including virtual elimination of the dead zone – the first recorded reversal of a dead zone of this scale ever achieved.

7. Examples of the DRP actions to develop and implement plans and policies with a focus on Nutrient Reduction • Local level • Municipal Water Supply and Waste Water – applying model for optimized operation • Local / National • Integrated Land-use and Wetlands – demonstrated in a pilot project • Regional level • Detergent policies – agreement of the Danube countries on further steps

8. Local level – Municipal Water Supply and Waste Water The Problem: • Reducing pollution from municipalities through more effective operation of municipal water and waste water utilities Achievements: • Developing ASTEC model for optimising the operation, costs and reforms at utilities, introduced through trainings in BiH, BG, CRO, CZ, HU, RO, SK to municipal utilities managers, policy-makers and academics • Applying and testing the model at the municipal utilities of Croatian city Karlovac and Romanian city Pitesti

9. National level – Integrated Land-use and Wetlands • Assisting DRB countries to prepare new land-use and wetland policies in line with existing and emerging legislation, particularly the EU WFD • Achievements: • Development and application of wetland assessment methodology and land use concepts • Applying the policy and technical measures in three Pilot wetland projects projects (Slovakia, Croatia, Romania); • Romania (Elan River, tributary of Prut River) – pilot project on 620 ha floodplain area, including 380 ha permanent wetlands; high stakeholders involvement • the Prut Water Directorate proposed part of the Mata-Radeanu (part of an old Elan River meander) as Natura 2000 site what was already validated at national level.

10. Regional level: Detergents legislation • Facilitating a discussion among the countries and a dialogue with the detergent industry representatives, since ban on P-containing laundry detergents was of significant benefit to the DRB and the North West Shelf of the Black Sea. • Achievements: • ICPDR to encourage basin-wide ban on P-detergents; • There is a need for Danube Countries (except AT, DE and CZ) to take positive action in developing national legislation to ban P-detergents; • Romania should be encouraged to act as a pilot for this ban due to the size of the population, the production facility available, the benefits to the Black Sea coast and tourism, the growth of wastewater treatment, etc.

11. Regional level: P-free detergents The Problem: • 20 – 30% of P from WWTWs derived from laundry detergents; • P is limiting nutrient in Western Black Sea; • Alternatives to P-detergents available; • Benefits from large investments in WWTWs diminished without ban Achievements: • ICPDR to encourage basin-wide ban; • Romania to be lead country (largest population, Black Sea coast, growth of sewerage and WWTWs);

12. Thank You!